Firefighter K.C. Morris rappels down the side of a six-story building during training at the recruit orientation academy.

Firefighters help police officer Donny Brown, left, move a damaged car from South 14th Street to a parking lot.

Police officers Terry Monroe, left, and Donny Brown investigate a traffic incident on South 14th Street. Brown has been with the department for 26 years and is among the officers eligible for retirement.

Recent retirements from both the Abilene fire and police departments - coupled with the number of officers and firefighters who are eligible to retire - have caused significant staffing concerns at the agencies charged with protecting the city.

About 30 percent of Abilene's police officers are eligible to retire from a department that is already 13 short of its full staff of 182 officers. Beginning Jan. 1, a rule change allowed police officers to begin retiring after 20 years of service rather than 25 years.

The Abilene Fire Department adds 20 firefighters to its ranks this week, giving it slightly more than a full crew of 174. However, Fire Chief Ken Dozier said he expects to lose some of his staff later this year because 51 percent of the department is eligible to retire. Firefighters may retire if they are at least 50 years old and have served for 20 years.

The shortage of firefighters and police officers means those who remain with the departments are working overtime.

John Brunett, AFD public information officer, said the fire department's staffing issues stem from 20-year-old hiring practices. Large groups of firefighters would be hired at the same time. So when the firefighters become eligible to retire, ''the retirements come in big clumps,'' Brunett said.

Typically, firefighter academies where recruits learn the skills they need on the job are limited to about eight to 10 cadets. But 20 cadets participated in the most recent fire academy, which began May 29 Police officers also are working overtime to patrol Abilene.

''We don't want to compromise the safety of our officers or the community,'' said APD Assistant Chief Ken Merchant.

Besides allowing officers to work overtime, the department is not filling open positions in divisions other than patrol and it is re-evaluating assignments to handle the shortage.

''When you're not filling detectives' positions, the caseload is affected,'' he said.

The police department is hoping to fill its 13 vacancies on the force with incoming cadets, but the academy doesn't begin until September and it'll be May or June next year before any of them will be able to work the streets alone.

Merchant said he hopes 18 or 20 people participate in the September police academy, but even those prospects ''may not get us up to strength.''

About 80 out of 100 people passed the initial written test. Out of those, Merchant said, about 10 to 20 percent will probably qualify for the academy. Some candidates drop out because they aren't mentally or physically suited for the job or they realize they had misconceptions about what police work entails.

But, by the time the academy's graduation rolls around next summer, more officers will have most likely retired, leaving more positions open. On average, the police department loses between eight and 15 officers per year, Merchant said.

''How many we put in the academy may depend on our attrition between now and September,'' Merchant said. ''We may still be short. We already know we need 18 to 20 (officers).''

City officials may have to consider starting another academy right after the September academy ends in March.

Merchant said Abilene isn't the only department struggling to keep its force fully staffed. The trend is nationwide; fewer people are applying for government jobs.

''We are fighting for people from a smaller pool than we used to,'' Merchant said.

The department used to spend a lot of money trying to recruit officers from other cities, but Merchant said it wasn't paying off. At out-of-town job fairs, Abilene had to compete with incentives other cities' departments offered, such as hiring bonuses, heftier salaries and improved health/dental plans. Abilene's police department has, however, been able to increase salaries over the last several years, Merchant said, largely in part to ''meet and confer,'' a form of negotiating between the city and the police association that represents officers.

And the police department looks closer to home for new recruits.

''The department recruits well within 50 miles of Abilene,'' he said. ''And Dyess (Air Force Base) is a good draw for us. We've hired quite a few retired Dyess airmen.''

How to ... Become an Abilene firefighter

Abilene Fire Department applicants must:

<li> Have already passed a four-week firefighter academy and been certified to fight fires.